Bikini-clad women helping Bali farmers sparks online controversy

In a recent incident, a viral video featuring six female tourists in bikinis assisting local farmers in Bali sparked debate among netizens, with many questioning their motives. The footage and accompanying discourse centred on the appropriateness of their attire and the apparent disruption of local work. This bikini controversy generated extensive attention on social media platforms.

According to Daily Mail, the clip was shared on social media with the caption, “In this day and age, it’s very normal to wear a bikini in the rice field,” causing immense controversy.

The video shows six attractive women, cheekily clad in bikinis, wading through the muddy field to help the farmers plant rice. Amid the shared mirth, however, a wave of criticism arose, accusing them of creating content at the expense of local labourers.

Critics stated that it was disrespectful to dress inappropriately while toiling in the fields alongside the underprivileged working-class locals. Moreover, they debated the disruption caused to the indigenous people’s work routine by the tourists.

One such remark was, “The impoverished hardworking individuals from developing countries are treated as mere props for the influential, wealthy tourists.”

Contrastingly, several netizens supported the women, expressing opinions such as, “I don’t think the farmers would think much of it, they seem to be laughing along,” and “Why is everyone making a fuss? At least, they’re helping.”

Other comments suggested that the outrage was unnecessary, noting that the women were not naked – they simply wore bikinis because of the heat. One asserted, “Bali has been topless for the past 100 years.”

It is worth noting that the harshly critiqued ‘bikini girls’ were not the group featured in the recent viral clip but referred to Natalie Schlater who wrote an article in 2019. The article carried a picture of her, in a bikini, pondering at a rice field in Bali, where she compared her life with that of hardworking local farmers who wake up early every morning to work in the fields, reported Sanook.